Bruce Chassy

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Bruce Chassy is retired professor from the University of Illinois and prominent defender of GMOs. He runs a website called Academics Review which was set up by Monsanto.[1] Chassy has been quoted on several occasions by Keith Kloor criticizing public records requests[2] [3] [4]. In one instance, Kloor quoted Chassy criticizing public records requests because they would only reveal “people trying to defend the science against malicious attacks”. [5]

In 2015, The New York Times reported on emails that showed Chassy was a consultant for Monsanto [6]. In an expose by Chicago Public Radio, Chassy was found to have been hiding consulting payments from Monsanto by routing them through the university's foundation.[7]

Chassy helped organize several bootcamps to train scientists and journalists about GMOs and glyphosate.[8] Organizers referred to the journalists who attended as "partners." In an email to several scientists, Chassy claimed that the conferences were funded by federal agencies and universities, with some money from industry. The conferences were later found to have been funded only by industry. According to the conference schedules, journalists who attended include Keith Kloor, Tamar Haspel of the Washington Post, and Nathanael Johnson of Grist.[9]

  1. Carey Gillam, USRightToKnow accessed Feb 2017 University of Florida website, accessed February 2017, https://usrtk.org/gmo/following-an-email-trail-how-a-public-university-professor-collaborated-on-a-corporate-pr-campaign/
  2. Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, accessed Feb 2017, http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/collideascape/2015/02/27/balance-transparency-academic-freedom/#.WKGq-neZOu5
  3. Keith Kloor, Science Magazine, accessed Feb 2017, http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/02/updated-agricultural-researchers-rattled-demands-documents-group-opposed-gm-foods
  4. Keith Kloor, Nature Magazine, accessed Feb 2017, http://www.nature.com/news/gm-crop-opponents-expand-probe-into-ties-between-scientists-and-industry-1.18146
  5. Keith Kloor, Nature Magazine, accessed Feb 2017, http://www.nature.com/news/gm-crop-opponents-expand-probe-into-ties-between-scientists-and-industry-1.18146
  6. Eric Lipton, New York Times, accessed Feb 2017, https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2303693-bruce-chassyuofillinoisdocs.html#document/p14/a237566
  7. Monica Eng, Chicago Public Radio, accessed Feb 2017, https://will.illinois.edu/news/story/why-didnt-an-illinois-professor-have-to-disclose-gmo-funding
  8. Paul D. Thacker, The Progressive, Flacking for GMOs: How the Biotech Industry Cultivates Positive Media—and Discourages Criticism, accessed August 2017, http://progressive.org/magazine/how-the-biotech-industry-cultivates-positive-media/
  9. Paul D. Thacker, The Progressive, Flacking for GMOs: How the Biotech Industry Cultivates Positive Media—and Discourages Criticism, accessed August 2017, http://progressive.org/magazine/how-the-biotech-industry-cultivates-positive-media/